A unique, easy to eat, cocktail party appetizer bursting with savory flavor.
The perfect cocktail party hors d’oeuvre should of course be delicious, but it should also be bite-size and require only one hand to eat. In other words, you should be able to pluck it off the serving tray and pop it into your mouth in one fell swoop. Blue Cheese Wild Rice Mini Meatballs make the perfect cocktail party appetizer for these very reasons. They’re easy to eat and are absolutely bursting with savory flavor. Pretzel sticks are used in lieu of toothpicks as a serving utensil. This makes for a clever presentation and provides a fun (and edible) way for you to grab, dip, and eat. (more…)
Classic Asian flavors shine through in this healthy and delicious, gluten-free broccoli slaw salad.
Crunchy Chinese Chicken Broccoli Salad is an awesome dish with Asian inspired flavors and the main ingredient is packaged broccoli slaw so it’s super convenient to make. Years ago, I used to make a version of this salad that contained Ramen noodles. The uncooked noodles were broken apart and mixed into the salad and the seasoning packet that came with the noodles was used to make a vegetable oil based dressing to which refined sugar was added. I won’t go into the reasons one should avoid eating Ramen noodles – they are far too numerous to list here, but if you have any doubt about this just do a Google search. My quick search returned articles with titles like “Ramen Noodles May Lead to Chronic Illness” and “Why Ramen Noodles Could Cut Your Life Short”. Scary stuff. I’m all for indulging on occasion when it’s worth it but in this case, I was able to health-ify my old recipe and I think it actually tastes better now! (more…)
A quinoa salad with a colorful assortment of healthy ingredients in a curry infused Greek Yogurt dressing.
Curried Cranberry Cashew Quinoa with Carrots and Corn – bet you can’t say that ten times fast! I wasn’t going for alliteration when I developed this recipe. My only goal was to create a curried quinoa salad, with an herbed Greek yogurt dressing, to bring to a birthday lunch I’ll be attending tomorrow. But, when I thought about the odd hue that curry can sometimes give to food, I decided the dish needed some pleasing flecks of color so I added cranberries (red), carrots (orange), and corn (yellow). I also knew I wanted some type of a nut in this dish, and cashews were a natural choice since they are often used in curry recipes. So, that’s how this recipe ended up with such a catchy title. I hope the birthday girl likes curry! (more…)
A delicious gluten-free, grab-and-go breakfast treat made with healthy, wholesome ingredients.
If I were the type of food blogger who plans out her posts months in advance and adheres to an editorial calendar, I’m pretty sure I wouldn’t be posting this recipe for Crispy Brown Rice Breakfast Cookies because earlier this week I published a post that also uses crispy brown rice as a primary ingredient. Really, I should be saving this recipe for a later date, but these cookies are so delicious I simply could not wait to share! (more…)
Buttermilk bathed chicken strips are coated with organic crisp brown rice and baked to golden perfection.
If you think that the term “healthy chicken fingers” sounds like an oxymoron, then you need to try Crispy Brown Rice Chicken Fingers. Admittedly, a lot of mass produced chicken fingers are made with mysterious, pulverized chicken parts and other undesirable ingredients, and then deep fried, making them anything but healthy, but not these little babies! Crispy Brown Rice Chicken Fingers are made with boneless, skinless chicken breasts and a handful of other simple ingredients. The chicken pieces are tenderized in a well-seasoned buttermilk mixture and then coated with organic crisp rice cereal before being baked to golden perfection. Kids and adults alike will adore these gluten-free, and yes healthy, chicken fingers! (more…)
The magical combination of salty and sweet in a peanut butter with a nutrient boost from chia seeds and flax seeds.
Certain foods are so insanely tasty and comforting that they trigger obsessive thoughts and cravings. Peanut butter is one such food. If you put peanut butter on anything and everything, never tire of its creamy deliciousness, and are always ready for your next fix, then you’re a peanut butter addict and will love Sweet and Salty Chia Flax Peanut Butter. One spoonful of this delicious homemade nut butter and you’ll be on a healthy peanut butter high! (more…)
A versatile salad dressing made with Greek yogurt that can also be used as a dip or a sauce.
Simple food can be turned into sophisticated food very quickly with the right sauce or dressing. Blue Cheese Rosemary Greek Yogurt Dressing is THAT sauce and it’s incredibly versatile. You can use it as a salad dressing, or a vegetable dip, but, in my opinion, it’s most impressive as a sauce for grilled meats. It’s cool and creamy with a hint of rosemary and intense blue cheese flavor that is nicely balanced by tangy Greek yogurt. This dressing is so delicious – you’ll be dipping everything into it! (more…)
A lightened up version of the classic sandwich made with cauliflower bread instead of French toast.
Comfort food is a term that is way overused nowadays, but, if there was ever a dish worthy of this label, it is the Monte Cristo Sandwich. A Monte Cristo is nothing more than a grilled ham and cheese sandwich made on French toast. It’s typically dusted with powdered sugar, cut into triangles, and served with some type of dipping sauce. These sandwiches are sweet, salty, warm, soft, and gooey. They’re also incredibly heavy and filling. Cauliflower Monte Cristo Sandwiches are a lightened-up version of the classic sandwich, but no less delicious. Instead of French toast, the ham and cheese is layered in between a baked cauliflower mixture that resembles slices of bread. Serve these delicious sandwiches with dabs of Dijon mustard and some maple syrup dipping sauce on the side. (more…)
A lighter, cleaner, healthier tuna salad made with homemade avocado mayonnaise and served on crunchy, gluten-free dill crackers.
“Clean eating” is a term that’s thrown around a lot these days. It’s kind of a vague term and if you asked ten health-minded people what it means, you’d likely get ten different answers. Everyone would agree, however, that the central tenet revolves around the idea of eating unprocessed, or minimally processed food. The best, and simplest piece of advice regarding clean eating that I’ve heard is this – when shopping for food, check the labels carefully. The ingredient lists should be short and all the foods on them should be recognizable. Of course, we can’t, nor should we, adhere to this guideline strictly. Some foods, by necessity, and for our safety, contain additives and preservatives, and not all of them are harmful. The key is to strike a balance by choosing whole foods as often as possible and avoiding foods that are highly and unnecessarily processed when it’s practical and feasible to do so. A super easy way to eat cleaner is to make your own mayonnaise. Store-bought mayonnaise is almost always made with refined oil (usually soybean oil) and often contains added sugar. Making your own mayonnaise takes just a few minutes and it’s so much healthier than store-bought. After you whip up a batch you can make Clean Tuna Salad on Gluten-Free Dill Crackers, which you can enjoy as a snack or light lunch. (more…)
Classic caprese salad ingredients on super flaky almond flour pastry, drizzled with sweet, tart, balsamic glaze.
A good caprese salad is probably my all-time favorite appetizer. Whenever I’m dining out with my family and caprese salad is on the menu one of my daughters invariably says “I know what you’re having Mom”. Traditional caprese salads are made up of mozzarella, tomatoes, and fresh basil, which, some say are meant to symbolize the colors of the Italian flag. The dressing is typically just some good quality olive oil with a sprinkling of salt and pepper. These beautiful tarts turn this classic salad from the Italian island of Capri into a delicious gluten-free appetizer with an updated dressing of balsamic glaze. If you’re a fan of caprese salads, you will LOVE Gluten-Free Caprese Tarts! (more…)
